The ’90s were a weird and occasionally wonderful time for superhero movies. In many ways, the success of films like Batmanand Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles paved the way for the comic book movie golden age we’re currently enjoying. On the other hand, bombs like The Phantom and Batman and Robin nearly killed the genre.

Still, the ’90s were a time of creative risk for the tights and cape genre. How else to explain movie versions of offbeat comics like Tank Girl and Mystery Men? But it wasn’t just weird indie comics on the big screen. Pulp heroes like The Shadow also got into the action thanks to the success of Dick Tracy. Since we’re in the age of reboot, pretty much every superhero franchise from the ’90s is fair game for a return to the big screen. With the recent release of The Shadowon Blu-ray, we thought we’d look at a few superhero flicks from the ’90s that could use a reboot. For good measure, we also tossed in one that needs to stay in the decade that gave us ravers and Pogs.

The Mask

New Line Cinema

Anyone who has read John Arcudi and Doug Mahnke’s Mask comics knows that the character is far more twisted and violent than the goofball featured in the Jim Carrey movie. Instead of turning geeky Stanley Ipkiss into a live-action Tex Avery cartoon, the titular mask transformed him into a murderous sociopath bent on revenge. The comic is far more of a satirical horror tale than a broad mainstream comedy. A proper reboot would go back to the comics and give us a cautionary tale about a man who puts on a mysterious mask and becomes a homicidal supervillain. Give it to a director who can handle twisted horror comedy (maybe You’re Next helmer Adam Wingard) and everyone will forget that Jamie Kennedy and a dog ever put on the mask.

The Shadow

Universal Pictures

Featuring a lushly retro production design and a stellar cast (you had us at Ian McKellen and Tim Curry), the 1994 movie version of the classic pulp hero is better than you remember. (It’s even better if you imagine it as the secret origin of Jack Donaghy.) Sam Raimi has tried to make a Shadow movie over the years, but he got sidetracked by making emo Peter Parker swing dance. (Though he basically made a Shadow movie with Darkman.) Captain America: The First Avenger proved that audiences can handle a straightforward comic book period piece. The Spirit and Green Hornet left pulp heroes in a bad place. Only The Shadow knows how to dig the genre out of its current hole.

Mystery Men

Universal Pictures

There’s really no reason to reboot the 1999 adaptation of characters from Bob Burden’s Flaming Carrot comic. When it comes to ensemble casts, you really can’t do any better than Ben Stiller, Janeane Garofalo, William H. Macy, Hank Azaria, Paul Reubens, Eddie Izzard and Greg Kinnear. (Not to mention Tom Waits, Ricky Jay, Dane Cook…seriously, this cast is insane.) So why not bring everybody back as older, crankier versions of Mr. Furious, The Shoveler, et. al? The time is ripe for an epic parody of big budget superhero flicks. Let Ben Stiller direct now that he’s got his serious movie that nobody saw out of his system.

Blade

New Line Cinema

While X-Men gets most of the credit for launching the Marvel movie era, 1998’s Blade did it first and with more stabbings set to techno music. Since it’s pretty unlikely that Wesley Snipes will play the Daywalker again, the door is open for new (warning, pun ahead!) blood. Thankfully, Marvel scored the big screen rights back from New Line and could use Blade to launch the dark corner of their movie universe. A script is in the works, but so far no casting announcements have been made. Might we suggest Michael Ealy, who will likely have some time on his hands once Almost Human is sent to the cancelled show scrap heap?

The Phantom

Paramount Pictures

You might remember the posters for this one, with Billy Zane in mid-punch promising to “smash evil.” Of course what he failed to smash is box office records. There was talk of Zane reprising the role that didn’t make him an action hero, but it’s been pretty quiet of late on the Phantom front outside of that terrible SyFy TV mini-series where he looked like purple Daredevil. A better way to go would be a live-action adaptation of Phantom 2040, the weirdly awesome ’90s cartoon which featured design work from Aeon Flux creator Peter Chung. Unlike the slow-moving comic strip, it’s a trippy, in-continuity take on the long running character that could translate well to an effects-heavy blockbuster. Plus, nobody wants to see Billy Zane in a puffy purple outfit these days unless it’s in a Zoolander sequel.

Rebooting Shadow, Phantom, Rocketeer, Flash Gordon, and finally getting Shane Black’s Doc Savage could be a Pulp Era equivalent of the MCU if done right, which is sort of what IDW and others are doing right now with them.

On the other hand, I’m only in favor of rebooting Flash Gordon if they keep the Queen soundtrack. That is perfect.

I’m still disappointed that they canceled the Flash Gordon TV show just as it was getting better. Also, I was disappointed by the lack of Queen in the show. The cover of the theme song that they had in the commercials (by Louis XIV) was passable but not as good as the original.

I’d be totally down for a reboot-quel (where new audiences don’t have to have seen the original, like Tron Legacy, only better) with Raimi reuniting with now action star Liam Neeson. Give us the proper big screen followup Darkman deserved.

Yes to more Sam & Max anything. Hopefully with the same voice actors from the games (new or old). Been watching a few episodes of the cartoon on YouTube, and I’m having a hard time getting into Sam’s voice there.

No, please leave The Rocketeer alone. I don’t trust any studio out there to make a reboot or sequel worth watching. The Phantom is pure 90s schlock but it DOES feature Treat Williams, and that goes a long way with me. And, weirdly enough, I just re-watched Meteor Man, and there’s a decent little superhero story in there, buried deep.

Also I absolutely adored the Shadow and have watched it more then ten times(it helped that they were constantly airing it on TV)

And I have to say I disagree about the Crow. The concept and it can work great. You just have to make sure not to make it look like a shitty cover but a brand new movie with a brand new spirit.

And the best way to do this is with a talented lead. Namely Tatiana Maslany. The fact that she is a woman alone would help dispel some of the automatic comparisons and can you imagine just how she would act the hell out of the role? First as the innocent loving human then as an avatar of vengeance? We can replace the alt rock with more haunting opera oriented music instead. Something along the lines of this [www.youtube.com]

It’s… really, really iffy, but I can’t argue with your casting or musical direction. I feel the same trepidation about a Rocketeer reboot. I don’t really want either (just gimme a great new comic adaptations instead), but if they absolutely have to be rebooted, they must be done so in a very carefully considered and flawlessly executed way. Who would you have direct your Crow reboot?

The Crow can, and should, be rebooted…but creatively. I’ll push “The Crow: Curare” on anyone just because while it does stick with the “roaring rampage of revenge” plotline the entire series has, the fact that The Crow brings back a little girl and not yet another dude completely changes the dynamic.

I was pretty fond of The Shadow, too. I feel like I’ve seen it relatively recently (within the last year or two), yet I don’t remember Sir Ian being in it. I guess he must’ve been Penelope Ann Miller’s dad? Odd that I didn’t recognize him.

Anyway, yeah, I’d be down with a Shadow reboot. The Phantom and The Mask could be cool. That Tank Girl idea sounds great, even though I have no familiarity with that franchise. As much as I loved the first two Blade movies, I don’t feel any particular yearning for that reboot. Spawn, I could take it or leave it.

I watched the first two seasons of that Spawn cartoon a few months back (got sidetracked before I got into the third). Solid show, but man, you sure are right about those intro scenes. Terrible. Tremendously hokey, especially in the latter seasons, with all the skulls and whatnot; and Todd McFarlane really reminded me of Patrick Bateman somehow.

Personally, I liked Blade just the way it was. It was made at a great time, when studios weren’t so concerned about making everything pg 13 enough to pass, and the cast was fantastic. 2 and Trinity, are, um, a bit of a different story…

I’ve watched part 2 almost as many times as I’ve watched 1. I cannot for the life of me get why 2 gets the “best of the 3″ or “better than the first” opinions. Then again, I say the same thing about the Godfather 1 and 2.

1 and 2 are very different movies, to me. 1 was special because of the atmosphere it maintained, where 2 maybe did better with plot and action. I love both, but I think the first is a bit better. I’ve only seen ~15 lousy minutes of Trinity, and it was not time well spent.

I’m not sure I need to see more of The Rocketeer… not because I don’t want more of it, but because I can’t imagine it ever being any better (or even really ever measuring up) to the original. It’s one of the few movies I loved as a kid that still measures up to my expectations as an adult. I don’t want someone going all Star Wars on it and making something that tarnishes the original.

Son of the Mask pretty much confirms rebooting The Mask is a bad idea.

If Sam Raimi can’t even build up the enthusiasm to reboot The Shadow I wouldn’t hold my breath on that one. Perhaps a TV series would work better than a feature.

Mystery Men – no.

Anyone see that Blade TV series? That’s a good argument against rebooting Blade.

If you’re remaking The Phantom as an effects-heavy blockbuster you’re already doing it wrong. See also The Lone Ranger.

Tank Girl – Dear God No!

Spawn is a distinctly 90s character whose time has passed.

The Rocketeer was such an underrated gem I suspect any attempt to reboot it for today’s audience would end up being an Iron Man version of Sky Captain & the World of Tomorrow. That is not a good thing.

The Meteor Man – You are joking? Why not suggest Steel or Blankman while you’re at it? Only thing noteworthy about Meteor Man is that it had a strong anti-gun message only to end with everyone in the neighborhood rescuing Meteor Man in the end by pulling guns on the bad guys.

Hard to care about a Crow reboot when there have been so many terrible sequels and a lousy TV show. It feels less like, “Oh, cool! They’re remaking The Crow!” and more like “Oh, another one? Ugh.”

You want a 90s superhero movie that could use a reboot (but will never happen)? A Dredd-style hard-R effect-laden remake of The Guyver. Imagine The Raid meets Power Rangers. Will never happen, but one can dream.

I’m gonna have to check out my Crow comic again. It was pretty damn moving when I read it back then, so I’m curious to see how it’s dated.
I want to see a movie of Mike Baron’s Badger. It wasn’t a 90s movie, but one of my favorite quirky comics from the late 80s, early 90s.

Hey. You can leave Blade alone. That movie brought comic book movies back. And made it as bloody as fucking ever. And I loved it, and it STILL holds up today. (Trinity never happened…) Besides, I know that reboot is gonna be PG-13 and it’s gonna suck.

Would The Phantom be more loved of a movie now if they had given the role to Bruce Campbell instead of Zane. It was down to those two and they went Zane. I don’t know if Campbell would have made the movie better, but I bet you people would watch it way more often.

Finally! Someone else that fully appreciates “Hollywood Shuffle”. I still pull the Jheri Curl move when I’m at a party and people are dancing. It lasts about 30 seconds and then I’m done and walk away…

I’m sorry but The Rocketeer doesn’t need sequels or to be remade. It’s a perfect movie. And The Shadow and The Phantom make for a PERFECT double feature with the elder set. Dads and granddads love that stuff.